Vegan
3054 recipes found
Spiced, Dry-Brined Mushrooms
Dry brining is a technique typically used to tenderize and flavor meat by harnessing two simple but powerful culinary tools: salt and time. This vegan recipe applies the process to mushrooms, along with a fragrant spice blend and olive oil to aid in flavor, color and texture. Just thirty passive minutes can produce a meaningful metamorphosis for these mushrooms, releasing excess moisture and allowing the mushrooms to brown deeply. Once pulled from the oven, the mushrooms can be stuffed into a roti with pickled onions and cucumbers, served on a mezze platter next to muhammara and hummus, or enjoyed however you please! Oyster mushrooms are a fantastic choice, but maitake, baby bella, portobello or a blend of each will work well, too.
Kale, Couscous and Tofu Salad With Carrot-Ginger Dressing
This satisfying no-cook salad demonstrates that taking cooking shortcuts need not come with any compromise when it comes to taste. Shortcut number one: You can skip massaging the kale; tearing it vigorously softens the leaves sufficiently. Shortcut number two: Save time with store-bought baked tofu, as it has been pre-cooked, which results in a firmer texture that stands up well in salads. And, lastly, shortcut three: Rather than actively monitoring couscous on the stovetop, you can simply season it and rehydrate in boiling water (or even hot vegetable stock, for even more flavor). The punchy, golden-hued carrot and ginger dressing takes cues from the simple salads served at Japanese American restaurants. This version adds miso, which softens the heat of the ginger.
Pure Jalapeño Salsa
This fiery, minimalist salsa proves that even humble kitchen staples — like garlic powder and fresh jalapeños — can surprise you. Simmered until tender, then mashed by hand or blended to a coarse purée, the chiles become the perfect backdrop for garlic powder, which deepens as it sits, taking on a warm, almost toasty edge you’d never get from raw garlic. A short fermentation (if you let it) softens the salsa’s heat and introduces a subtle, tangy complexity (see Tip). It’s a salsa that evolves — bold on Day 1, balanced by Day 3 — making it perfect to spoon over pizza, tacos or anywhere you’d reach for a pickled chile.
Aguacate Ahumado (Spicy Avocado Salsa)
Many salsas are fresh, raw and bright. But this pico de gallo turns a corner. A smoky corner. Finely chopped chipotles in adobo end up glazing the soft pieces of avocado, and it tastes deep and charred, even though it takes all of five minutes to make. It shouldn’t taste this good. But it does. Serve on sandwiches or tostadas, or with a bowl of plantain chips.
Spicy Miso Lentil Soup
This soup is simultaneously comforting, fresh and nasal-clearing — as good for sick days as for those crisp days of spring. The key is a spicy bright-green slurry made by blending a bunch of raw spinach, miso, lime juice, fresh chiles and ginger. Because it’s poured into the soup pot of tender lentils and rice right at the end, its color and flavor stays vibrant. For pops of savory nuttiness, top your bowls with slivers of shiitake mushrooms that have been browned in sesame oil. They make this soup especially satisfying, but you could also top bowls with stir-fried or roasted vegetables like asparagus and winter squash.
Chickpea Noodle Soup
With a golden broth, creamy chickpeas and bouncy angel hair noodles, this quick vegan soup will remind you of chicken noodle soup. To create a savory broth, sizzle carrots, celery and onion with nutritional yeast, turmeric and herbs in oil. A generous amount of oil adds silkiness to the broth and helps carry the flavor of the aromatics, while nutritional yeast gives the broth the soul-satisfying properties of chicken bouillon. While you can use broken pieces of any long noodle, angel hair is especially wonderful; delicate, soft and highly slurpable, they mimic the fine egg noodles found in many delis’ chicken noodle soup.
Tofu Rendang
Rendang is an Indonesian and Malaysian curry associated with the long and gentle cooking of protein, most often beef. This vegan version, however, evokes rendang’s signature deep and intoxicating flavors in a fraction of the time thanks to tofu, which absorbs flavor readily without requiring lengthy cooking. The spice paste of ginger (or galangal), shallots, lemongrass and garlic brings potent flavor, and clings to the tofu as it cooks down with the coconut milk. Classic rendang will often feature a buttery, toasted coconut paste, but this recipe uses toasted shredded coconut to impart texture and nuttiness. If you are meal prepping, cook this on the weekend to eat during the week, as the curry increases in flavor over time.
Chickpea Picadillo
This plant-based take on a Mexican picadillo trades the traditional ground meat for a deeply savory mix of mushrooms, tofu and chickpeas, simmered with tangy tomatillos, poblano and scallions until everything melds into a rich, comforting hash. A box grater gives the tofu a ground meat-like texture that crisps beautifully in the pan, while the tomatillos add a tart freshness that keeps each bite lively and light. This weeknight-friendly dish is flavorful and deeply satisfying — especially when served alongside rice and beans or made into tacos or burritos. Make a double batch and freeze the leftovers: This is the kind of comfort food whose flavor gets better with time.
Lower-Alcohol Dirty Martini
Dry vermouth and fino sherry make up the base of this lower-in-alcohol cocktail, while keeping all the flavor of an original dirty martini. To start, ensure everything (the bottles of dry vermouth, fino sherry and spirit, the olive brine and garnish) is nicely chilled and use plenty of ice to stir your drink before pouring into your (also chilled) glass. If you’re unsure just how dirty you prefer your dirty martini, start with ¼ ounce brine and work your way up. Lastly, the small but aromatically complex addition of fino sherry gives the drink more depth and texture.
Miso Rice Cakes With Spinach and Peas
Tteok (oval rice cakes) partner up with spring’s abundance of greens to produce an easy, lightning-fast weeknight dinner. The firm, precooked rice cakes often found in soups and stews become amazingly absorbent after a quick soak, drinking in the surrounding miso sauce, becoming glossy and rich with umami. Spring offers ample opportunity for substitutions: Fragrant green garlic can swap in for the usual garlic cloves, magenta spring onions for red onions, fresh peas instead of frozen, and twirly pea shoots for baby spinach. This dish welcomes scallions, chives, parsley or any tender herbs that may need to be used up. Quick-cooking or already-cooked proteins such as shrimp, white beans or tofu are happily accommodated here, if a protein boost is desired to top off this very vegetable-forward vegan meal.
Carajillo
Icy and bold, the Mexican version of the carajillo cocktail combines strong coffee with Licor 43, a buttery Spanish liqueur boasting 43 ingredients, dominated by vanilla and citrus notes and a subtle hint of anise. While many carajillo recipes combine equal parts strong coffee and rum or brandy, this Mexican interpretation has become a classic. Serve the cocktail after dinner to keep the evening going, or for a weekend brunch. If you’re avoiding caffeine, decaf coffee works just as well.
Mushroom and Tofu Sticky Rice
Sticky rice, known as lo mai fan in Cantonese, with its signature chewy texture and natural whisper of sweetness, feels like a celebration dish but is easy enough to whip up on a weeknight. This version is vegan, and dotted with toothsome shiitake mushrooms, bouncy extra-firm tofu and, if you like, nutty roasted chestnuts. While sticky rice is often steamed or made in a rice cooker, this one can be made in any heavy pot and cooks slowly on low heat, resulting in grains that are sticky but not mushy. Start by soaking the sticky rice (boiling water cuts the soak time to just 30 minutes), which helps it cook more evenly. Naturally gluten-free, sticky rice is sometimes sold as sweet or glutinous rice and is available from most Chinese markets, as well as larger Asian grocery stores.
Chickpeas all’Arrabbiata
A quick rummage through the pantry brings these saucy beans to life in this humble meal that leans on the power of a few dusty cans that may be lingering on your shelves. Let chickpeas swim in this fiery, garlic-heavy arrabbiata sauce built from canned tomatoes and they take on the vibes of the best slow-simmered red sauce classics in a fraction of the time. Slip a pan of no-stir creamy polenta into the oven before getting the beans started and it will be ready to catch every drop of sauce, but you could also toss the chickpeas with pasta or simply spoon them over toast.
Roasted Cabbage With Capers and Garlic
It sounds so simple — roasted cabbage with a garlicky caper oil — but the resulting dish is anything but plain. Sharp from briny capers and unapologetically pungent from the garlic, with a bold kick of zesty lemon, the flavored oil serves as both a marinade for the cabbage and a finishing glaze. As the cabbage roasts, it turns savory and caramelized while the capers develop a crunch. Make this dish heartier by roasting chickpeas alongside the cabbage, serve alongside a protein like quinoa or pan-fried tofu, toss through pasta, or simply serve with bread to mop up every last drop.
Rhubarb-Almond Crumble
This tangy, fruity dessert is gluten-free, vegan and suitable for Passover (those who choose to avoid cornstarch at Passover can use tapioca starch in the filling). The topping is a bit sandier and more caky than a classic crumble, with a subtle, nutty sweetness from a combination of almond flour, almond butter and shredded coconut. Paired with the jammy fruit, the almond butter gives this crumble distinct PB&J energy. Note that almond butter brands vary widely; some are loose and runny, others thick and pasty. If yours is on the thicker side, you may need to add a bit more to get the crumbs to hold together. Leftovers make a terrific breakfast, topped with yogurt if you like.
Lobio (Georgian Bean Stew) with Mchadi Cornbread
Simple and hearty kidney bean and walnut stew recipe, served with classic Georgian-style pan fried cornbread.
Orange-Ginger Brussels Sprouts
Bring sunshine to your vegetable routine with a sharp dressing of turmeric, ginger, citrus and lots of black pepper. The combination is reminiscent of nose-clearing tonics and the spices in sabzis which can brighten roasted brussels sprouts as well as cooked beets, squash, carrots, cabbage or other hardy vegetables. Juicy orange chunks, chopped peanuts and cilantro (including crunchy stems) add pops of texture and freshness. This side would glow on a dinner party spread, or make it a weeknight meal by stirring in chickpeas or eating it with grains and yogurt.
One-Pot Kabocha Squash and Coconut Rice
Great on its own, this rice dish makes for a light, low-effort vegan meal, but it can also be served alongside seared tofu or grilled chicken. Kabocha wedges are shingled over a base of coconut rice seasoned with garlic and ginger. You’ll marvel at how the rice cooks through in the time it takes for the squash to tenderize. There’s an art to cooking rice in a pot, and the details make a difference. First, be sure to wash the rice thoroughly before cooking to rinse out the starch from the grains for a fluffier texture. Be patient and try not to peek under the lid while the rice is cooking, as you’ll want to keep the hot steam inside the saucepan. If the brand of coconut milk you’re using does not have any stabilizer, the liquid may appear curdled. Don’t be alarmed: It’s all fine and will still taste delicious.
Coconut Curry With Potatoes and Greens
This hearty dish comes with many possibilities: Part chunky chowder, part saucy curry, it can be eaten as a soup, with crusty bread on the side, or ladled over steamed rice or rice noodles. The flavor foundation of this aromatic, vegetable-laden dish comes from store-bought Thai curry paste, an undisputed weeknight pantry hero that delivers complex spices straight from the jar. Frying the paste until it turns a darker shade makes it even more special by intensifying its flavors. Different brands of curry paste will vary in water content, saltiness and spice, so keep that in mind when deciding how much to add. While any variety of potatoes could be used here, starchy Yukon Golds will hold their shape best, with a lovely creaminess that pairs harmoniously with the greens. Make this meal even heartier by adding diced extra-firm tofu or chickpeas.
Curried Coconut and Red Lentil Soup
In this quick-cooking and restorative soup, the key to building flavor fast is curry powder. While the spice blends vary from brand to brand, most include at least coriander, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek and black pepper. Madras curry powder, used here, is a spicier variant featuring chile powder. In the time it takes for the vegetables and aromatics to soften, the red lentils cook through, creating a creamy, velvety texture when the soup is blended. The optional addition of coconut water reinforces the flavor of the coconut milk and balances the aromatic savoriness with a hint of sweetness. The extra hydration this soup provides is especially welcome during Ramadan.
Cabbage Steaks
Tender and crisp cabbage “steaks” are indeed vegetarian, similar to cauliflower steaks, but achieve remarkable complexity from the way they are sliced into thick planks and roasted, which chars the outer edges and makes the inner leaves rippled and buttery for a balance of textures. The key is using plenty of olive oil: Some gets blended with spices and brushed all over the steaks, and even more is drizzled on top just before roasting. Serve these cabbage steaks as a simple side with a sprinkle of dill, alongside a pile of pierogi, a spatchcocked chicken or roasted salmon, or serve them as a main, with a spoonful of romesco and some fresh bread.
Cauliflower Satay
In this party-friendly appetizer, roasted cauliflower is paired with a shortcut version of the rich, creamy coconut and peanut butter satay sauce often served with chicken. To coax out deep, nutty flavor from the cauliflower, first roast it simply slicked with oil to help it caramelize, then coat it in a blended mixture of coconut milk, shallots, lemongrass and spices to bump up moisture and flavor and roast until tender. While your cauliflower roasts, you’ll prepare a supersimple peanut sauce by simmering coconut milk with red curry paste and peanut butter. (The salt and heat levels in store-bought curry pastes vary widely, so season your satay sauce accordingly.) Intended as an appetizer, this recipe is hearty enough to work as a main course when served with rice, but also pairs well with crispy or grilled tofu, grilled chicken or steamed vegetables, and can dazzle as the centerpiece for a main-course salad.
Yuzu-Miso Soba Noodle Soup
Sour like lemon, bitter like grapefruit, sweet like mandarins and tangy like oranges, yuzu might be the consummate citrus — and it brings all of that complex magic to this light, clean noodle broth. Miso pairs harmoniously with yuzu, bringing savory notes to balance the tartness. Yuzu juice is sold at Japanese and Asian grocery stores (or online), but if you are not able to access it, you can substitute with lemon juice for a broth that is equally impactful. Lemon tends to be more sour than yuzu, so add the fresh juice incrementally until you achieve your desired balance. A squeeze of lemon juice and the thinly sliced lemon slices inject a further jolt of freshness to the yuzu broth, brightening yuzu’s floral and herbal flavors.
Lo Han Jai (Buddha’s Delight)
On Lunar New Year’s Day, many Cantonese families will make a pot of lo han jai, also known as Buddha’s delight. The vegan dish is rooted in Buddhist tradition, which prescribes that a meat-free diet be observed during the new year as a form of self-purification and to welcome good luck. Delicious any time of year, Lo han jai has transcended Lunar New Year and is nowadays enjoyed as an everyday dinner dish. There is no single recipe for lo han jai — families are likely to have their own versions — but the key is to create a textural dish by bringing together dried and fresh vegetables. Swap out any of the ingredients you cannot find and consider substituting with other vegetables such as carrot, sugar snap peas, lotus root, baby corn or cauliflower.